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The icon presents the scene of the Martyrdom of St Andrew who was crucified upside down. It was painted by Michael Damaskenos, one of the most important Cretan artists of the 16th c. The painter narrated the episode of the Crucifixion of Saint Andrew in a way that reminds the 16th- c. art of Venice. But some Byzantine elements survive in the Cretan painting.
Michael Damaskenos was born in the Venetian-held Chandax (now Herakleion) between 1530 and 1535 and died in 1592-3. He lived in Crete and Italy and left behind a rich artistic production. Between 1577 and 1582 he worked in Venice where he came in touch with the artistic movements of the era. In his works, the Byzantine hagiographic tradition and the influences of the western painting coexist.